5 Ways to Prep for Next School Year this Summer

If you follow along on social media, you may already know that Baby Evan just couldn’t wait to be here and made his debut on May 25th!! Being home and holding BOTH of my babies has meant THE WORLD to me and I am just soaking up every second I have with them. And I just know that Matt was there the whole time watching over us.

 

 

 

It is June and that means summer has officially begun!! Whether it’s relaxing by the pool, taking trips with your loved ones, catching up on your favorite books and TV shows, or just enjoying the ease of no lessons, summer is a great time for us piano teachers to reset and take a mental break.

 

The reality is, many of us do not get the chance to prep during the traditional school year because we are so busy, well, teaching!! While technically I am on maternity leave right now , my wheels are always spinning on how to prep for my next year of teaching. And September always comes in a blink of an eye. I recently just changed my piano policies and now only teach September through May and let me tell ya – Best Decision Ever!! Now in the summers, I only offer “a la carte lessons” and give myself plenty of time to reset and prepare for the upcoming school year.

 

For today’s blog, I have 5 easy ways to prep for the next school year this summer. But don’t worry – they can all be completed in pajamas or a bathing suit.

 

If you have been thinking about joining our Cascade Method Program, the summer is a great time to start! It’s completely online, which means you can get certified by getting comfy on the couch or laying by the pool. With this online piano certification, you will receive all the tools, resources, and strategies you need FOR LIFE!! Yes, you heard that right- you can get access to this course for life! I have seen teachers knock this course out in 4 months, and I have also seen some take a full year. You can take it at your own pace!! Since it is lifetime access, you can work as slow or fast as you want! If you have more questions, check out this blog post on the Cascade Method Program that answers all your burning questions!!

 

I have recently gotten a lot of messages from piano teachers who are investing in my Boom Cards and are actually inspired to start making their own!! It’s just music to my ears!! Boom Cards are one of my FAVORITE tools to use for in-person AND online piano lessons. They’re fun, engaging, and a great way to gauge where your students are at with a particular piano concept.

 

If you have yet to start using Boom Cards with your students, summer is an excellent time to start! Take some time to learn how to use them and how to set up an account with Boom Learning. This blog post on Boom Cards for Piano (FAQ) walks you through how to get started, how to assign Boom Card decks to your students, and how to find free decks. BTW, if you are a part of the Cascade Method Program, you can get access to ALL of my decks for LIFE!

 

For me, I feel like the summer is my time to organize! I like to try out the resources I bought during the school year and reflect on what I enjoyed versus what I’d like to change. When teaching lessons, we are all in it and it can be hard to find time during our busy schedules to truly organize the way we want. When you aren’t teaching lessons every day, it is easier to sit down and go through all of your resources and try out new ones. I am always looking for ways to improve my teaching and make piano lessons not only fun and engaging, but something kids want to continue learning!! We’re here to make musicians for LIFE!!

 

Online lessons are the future!! I would have neveeeer guessed I would be teaching online due to a mandated quarantine, but it has honestly turned out to be a huge blessing! In fact, I am in the works on a new course that is all about the benefits of teaching online and how to transition your business to fully virtual.

I’m planning to drop this course in early 2023 and you don’t want to miss out!! And if you are just getting started with online lessons, you can check out this blog where I cover my favorite tools and resources for teaching online!

 

Maybe you are still teaching over the summer, but you’re not sure you want to anymore. That’s OKAY!! I’ve been teaching for over 20 years and have JUST changed my policies to be the exact way I want them to be. I started noticing that a looooot of my families were canceling during the summer time because of vacations or other events, and things were just getting too hectic with my business. So I decided it would be best to change my piano lesson policies and start teaching lessons only during the traditional school year.

Maybe this summer is about taking some time to assess what works best for YOU. And remember, it’s always okay to change your policies because it is YOUR business! If you have been wanting to change your policies but aren’t sure where to start, I have a workshop on policies that you can purchase for only $7! There is SO much good information and you even get access to my personal policy document! I also wrote a blog about teacher piano policies that you can read for FREE on ways to update and upgrade your own!